Redwood trees are the tallest plants on the earth，reaching heights of up to 100 meters．They are also known for their longevity，typically 500 to 1000 years，but sometimes more than 2000 years．A hundred million years ago，in the age of dinosaurs，redwoods were common in the forests of a much more moist and tropical North America．As the climate became drier and colder，they declined to a narrow strip along the Pacific coast of Northern Califomia．
The trunk of redwood trees is very strong and usually forms a single straight column．It is covered with a soft bark．This bark can be pretty thick，well over two feet in the more mature trees．It gives the older trees a certain kind of protection from insects，but the main benefit is that it keeps the center of the tree harmless from moderate forest fires because of its thickness．This fire resistant quality explains why the giant redwood grows to live that long．While most other types of trees are destroyed by forest fires，the giant redwood actually prospers because of them．
Moderate fires will clear the ground of competing plant life，and the rising heat dries and opens the ripe fruit of the redwood，releasing many thousands of seeds onto the ground below．
New trees are often produced from shoots，little baby trees，which form at the base of the trunk．These shoots grow slowly，fed by the root system of the “mother’’ tree．When the main tree dies，the shoots are then free to grow as full trees，forming a “fairy ring” of trees around the original tree．These trees，in turn，may give rise to more shoots，and the cycle continues．Why were redwood trees easier to find in the forests of North America millions of years ago?
| A．The trees were taller and stronger． |
| B．The soil was softer for seeds to develop． |
| C．The climate there was warmer and wetter． |
| D．The temperature was lower along the Pacific coast． |
Which of the following is a function of the tree bark as mentioned in the passage?
| A．It allows redwood trees to bear seeds． |
| B．It prevents redwood trees from attack by insects． |
| C．It helps redwood trees absorb water in the air． |
| D．It makes redwood trees more beautiful and appealing． |
Why do redwood trees grow to live that long according to the passage?
| A．They have heavy and straight tree trunks． |
| B．They are properly watered and catered to． |
| C．They are more resistant to fire damage than other trees． |
| D．They produce many young trees to maintain their life cycle． |
How does a “fairy ring’’ form according to the passage?
| A．By killing an old tree． | B．By connecting root systems． |
| C．By inserting holes into old trees． | D．By surrounding a mature tree． |
It doesn’t matter when and how much a person sleeps, but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That’s what all doctors thought, until they heard about Herpin. Al Herpin, it was said, never slept. Could this be true? The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves.
Herpin was 90 years old when the doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind. So they stayed with him and watched every movement he made. But they were surprised. Though they watched him hour after hour and day after day, they never saw him sleeping. In fact, he did not even own a bed. He never needed one.
The only rest that Herpin sometimes got was sitting in a comfortable chair and reading newspapers. The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. They asked him many questions, hoping to find an answer. They found only one answer that might explain his condition. Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born. But that was all. Was this the real reason? No one could be sure. Herpin died at the age of 94.The main idea of this passage is that_____.
| A．large numbers of people do not need sleep |
| B．a person was found who actually didn’t need any sleep |
| C．everyone needs some sleep to stay alive |
| D．people can live longer by trying not to sleep |
The doctors came to visit Herpin, expecting_____.
| A．to cure him of his sleeplessness |
| B．to find that his sleeplessness was not really true |
| C．to find out why some old people did not need any sleep |
| D．to find a way to free people from the need of sleeping |
One reason that might explain Herpin’s sleeplessness was _____.
| A．his mother’s injury before he was born |
| B．that he had gradually got rid of the sleeping habit |
| C．his magnificent physical condition |
| D．that he hadn’t got a bed |
Al Herpin’s condition could be regarded as ______.
| A．a common one | B．one that could be cured |
| C．very healthy | D．a rare one |
A mother of a cheerful five-year-old just returned from a meeting of the National Organization for Women. Inspired by exciting dreams for the possibilities of womanhood, she asked her daughter what she wanted to be when she grew up. Little Lisa quickly answered, “A nurse.”
There was a time when nursing was thought of as a woman’s job and the answer somehow seemed not to be satisfied. She had, after all, just returned from a new meeting.
“You can be anything you want to be,” she reminded her daughter. “You can be a lawyer, a doctor, a banker, president of the country — you can be anything.”
“Anything?” Lisa asked.
“Anything!” her mother smiled.
“I know,” Lisa said. “I want to be a horse!”
Lisa’s dream may need some improvement, but there is plenty of time for that. When do we give up dreaming about the future? When do we resign (听任) ourselves to simply replaying dreams from the past?
Maybe her dream needs to mature (成熟) a bit, but would you rather have the optimism (乐观) of a five-year-old girl who wants to be a horse, or the pessimism (悲观) of an adult who says in despair, “I can’t be anything at all”？
Teddy Roosevelt said, “Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground.” I believe that is the way to make those dreams come true. It begins with looking up and dreaming of something beautiful.What did the girl really want to be when she grew up?
| A．A nurse. | B．A horse. |
| C．A banker. | D．A lawyer. |
How did the mother feel when hearing her daughter’s first answer?
| A．Satisfied. | B．Puzzled. |
| C．Disappointed. | D．Excited. |
The lesson we can learn from the passage is that we should ______.
| A．stop children dreaming of something strange |
| B．advise parents how to educate children |
| C．encourage adults to learn from children |
| D．help children to set up a big goal |
The true meaning of the underlined sentence in the last paragraph is “______”.
| A．Stand on the ground and watch the stars |
| B．Have a big dream and work hard |
| C．Protect your eyesight while working |
| D．Find a good way to watch the stars |
阅读下面短文，并根据题目要求用英语回答问题（请注意问题后的字数要求）。
Diana Rae of Tenino, Washington, demonstrates Virtual (虚拟的)Urgent Care with Dr. Ben Green in Seattle, who consults with her via Skype.
Telemedicine is the name for when doctors give advice to patients by telephone or the Internet, or when health care providers in rural areas connect with specialists in big cities.
Telemedicine has existed for a long time, but the rise of smartphone, tablets and webcam-equipped computers is raising telemedicine to new levels. Some health care systems in the United States now offer Virtual Urgent Care, patients see a doctor by video chat without having to leave home.
Diana Rae is a nurse educator in the western state of Washington. She recently demonstrated how Virtual Urgent Care works. She used an iPad tablet and Skype — the video chat service.
“Hi, yes, my name is Doctor Ben Green, among the doctors with Franciscan Virtual Urgent Care.”
Doctor Green has the patient describe her symptoms. Then the doctor performs a physical exam by demonstrating what he wants her to do. Doctor Green decides that the problem is an infection. For medicine, he advises penicillin, a common antibiotic drug for viruses. He says about 3 out of 4 patients who have health problems can be treated like this — through Virtual Urgent Care, which means a video chat could replace a visit to the doctor’s office.
The Franciscan Health System is based in Tacoma, Washington. Franciscan charges $35 for this kind of virtual house call, that is much less than the cost of going to an emergency room, a doctor’s office or an urgent care clinic.
After trying the video conference, Diana Rae says she would be happy to pay the 35 dollars, when she was recently home with a bad cold. “I would’ve paid twice that for the convenience of getting taken care of without having to sit in a waiting room, wait, and get exposed to everyone else’s germs.” Rae said.
But a company official says state rules have not kept progress with development in telemedicine. The workers who provide Virtual Urgent Care must be licensed separately in each state where the company does business. For now, that means Franciscan doctors can treat patients in Washington state and California, for example, but not in neighboring Oregon or Idaho.What is helping telemedicine to rise to new stages? (No more than 8 words)
What does the underlined word “infection” mean? (No more than 5 words)
Why would Diana Rae be happy to pay Virtual Urgent Care even more? (No more than 10 words)
Why can’t Virtual Urgent Care develop fast now? (No more than 10 words)
What do you think of Virtual Urgent Care’s future? Why? (No more than 20 words)
Negative self talk and negative energy can affect you in many ways and cause you additional stress. Because of this, developing more positive self talk is an important way to reduce stress in your life. You can help yourself maintain a positive frame of mind 一which will help with positive self talk一by surrounding yourself with positive energy in your life. You can get that by adding some elements to your life.
Listening to music that not only has a pleasant melody, but an uplifting message, can be great for developing positive self talk. Have you ever had a song “stuck in your head” for a few hours or days, the lyrics (歌词) repeating themselves in your mind? If those lyrics were positive and inspirational, that would be a good thing. It’s a much better mental soundtrack to have than a running stream of complaints, criticisms of self-limiting thoughts, or even songs that had more depressing or sad lyrics.
Books on strength, personal power, enlightenment, or self help can be good resources to help you change your outlook and the things you say to yourself. Rather than bringing habitual self-defeating thoughts, you can find yourself thinking of new can-do concepts when times get tough.
One of the most important ways you can get and keep positive energy in your life is with the company you keep. Do your friends uplift you, or bring you down? Are they critical, or approving? Ideal friendships provide support when you’re down, fun when you’re up, wisdom when you’re lost. Good friends can inspire you to reach greater heights, and see your strengths even when you don’t always. Pay attention to how your friends make you feel, and if they’re less than supportive, start putting your energy and time toward people who are better suited to be your friends.
In addition, positive affirmations (肯定)can certainly change your self talk from negative to positive. Now, why not begin working positive affirmations into your life in some creative ways?What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Adding some elements to your life. |
| B．Getting positive energy from the company you keep. |
| C．Changing your self talk with positive affirmation. |
| D．Reducing stress by surrounding yourself with positive energy. |
How many ways does the author suggest to maintain a positive frame of mind?
| A．3. | B．4. | C．5. | D．6. |
If you have something “stuck in your head”, you probably ________.
| A．keep thinking of this thing all the time |
| B．keep singing the same song for a long time |
| C．regard the lyrics of a song as positive |
| D．are developing positive self-talk |
According to the passage, your best company should be those who ________.
| A．uplift you or bring you down |
| B．encourage you to do things better |
| C．provide fun when you’re depressed |
| D．are supportive when you are strong |
What will probably be talked about in the following paragraph?
| A．How negative self talk influences a person. |
| B．How positive self talk reduces stress in one’s life. |
| C．Some great ways of making great friends. |
| D．Some creative ways of practicing affirmation. |
In most countries in the world, governments require children to attend schools in which trained teachers are responsible for educating the children using an approved curriculum. However, a sharply increasing number of parents believe that it is much better for their children to be educated at home by the people who know them and their needs best. Today, it is estimated that about one million home schooled children in the United States and tens of thousands of other learners around the world are learning outside of school. Now that home schooling is growing worldwide, the real-world experiences of learners show that schools are not always necessary for learning.
Therefore, an increasing number of parents are deciding that home schooling is the best option for their children. They are unhappy with the quality or depth of education offered in the schools, or have other reasons why they feel that conventional schools (some people would rather call “normal schools” or “traditional schools”) are not suitable for their children. One reason is social factors. Parents worry that their children will suffer from bullying(欺负) or will be forced into bad behavior by peer pressure. They believe that the good behavior they have taught the child will be lost in school. Another reason is concern over the quality of schooling available. Schools frequently have large classes and they are often under-funded and stuffed with teachers without sufficient knowledge of their subjects. In the third place, other parents may disagree with the aims of the school curriculum, preferring for academic, social or cultural reasons to keep their children separate.
However, there are many arguments in favor of sending children to conventional schools. The first is that the children will be exposed to other children. And they will interact with each other and develop social skills. A second point is that the children will learn to function outside the family. They will not be dependent on their parents for their educational, emotional and social needs. A third point is that the children will find it easier to integrate (融入) when they finish school, as they eventually will, when they start work or college.
All in all,while many parents work hard to teach their children at home, conventional schools are still the right choice for most children. Schools are not perfect, but they seem to be a proven way of preparing our children for the real world. After all, education is not only about learning facts and figures, but also about learning how to survive socially.It seems that more and more people come to realize that ______.
| A．teachers should know their students’ needs better. |
| B．children should be educated at school. |
| C．children should learn by themselves. |
| D．children should be educated at home. |
What is the main idea of the second paragraph?
| A．The reasons why parents choose home schooling. |
| B．Parents care much for their young children. |
| C．Parents are forced to accept home schooling. |
| D．The quality of education at conventional school is bad. |
Which of the following is most likely to be the disadvantage of conventional schools according to the parents who choose home schooling?
a. The children will make bad friends.
b. The children may behave badly.
c. There is a lot of academic pressure.
d. There are too many students in a class.
| A．a, b | B．a, d |
| C．b, c | D．b, d |
One of the advantages of the conventional schools is that the students ______.
| A．have to meet each other every day |
| B．will be independent of their educational needs |
| C．can develop their practical skills |
| D．have a better chance of going to college |
According to this passage, the author's attitude towards conventional schooling is ________.
| A．disapproving |
| B．supportive |
| C．puzzled |
| D．suspicious |